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Monday, December 30, 2013

Once,
every professional worth his/her salt dreamt of a life in the big city. Today,
the tables have turned. Why professionals are more than willing to derive the
‘small town’ advantage?

Given a choice, would you move to a smaller city, with
the same job profile and a slightly lowered salary but a better work-life
balance, shorter commute and lower standard of living? Not only is an
overwhelming majority of Indian professionals answering in the affirmative to
this question, organisations too are also more than happy to comply.
Most of us have colleagues who pine to be back to their
hometowns, despite the charm and glamour of a metropolitan city. “We are
witnessing an increasing trend where people want to move to smaller towns. The
primary drivers are: it is their hometown; it is close to their family; cost of
living is relatively lower and support systems are stronger. Plus with the
proliferation of malls and entertainment options in Tier II and III
cities, individuals can have the best of both worlds,” agrees Elango R, CHRO
and head, emerging geographies business unit, Mphasis. One fourth of Mphasis’
total employee headcount is based out of Indian non-metros. The organisation
has had employees move to Indore, Raipur and Bhubaneswar from bigger cities
like Bangalore and Pune.
As organisations find that business opportunities are
getting saturated in the urban areas, they realise that the logical move is to
explore the potential of smaller towns. “While the move to smaller towns has
helped companies mitigate the risks arising out of the global economic
upheaval, smaller cities with better infrastructure facilities and lower
operating costs can make a viable business proposition and complement the
overall business strategy,” explains Manuel D’Souza, director - HR, Serco
Global Services. Out of their total task force of 47,000, 20,407 are based in
nonmetros. Serco has been receiving lateral/vertical requests for movement from
metros to smaller towns every month.
The other factor that is luring multinational
corporations towards India’s smaller towns is the availability of a huge pool
of untapped talent. “More and more people are keen to seize opportunities in
their own towns instead of relocating
to larger towns and moving away from their families. This becomes advantageous
for organisations that are looking at hiring talented and efficient employees
for smaller cities,” says D’Souza. Aurangabad, Pondicherry, Dehradun, Mohali
and Guwahati are emerging Tier II and III cities.
So if you’re a city-bred professional hoping to have a
quieter life in a Tier II city, is your request for a transfer likely to be
granted? “Keeping the business need and employee preference in mind, these
decisions are taken on a case-to-case basis,” says Satish M, EVP, HR,
Firstsource Solutions Ltd. He also reveals that in certain businesses, clients
tend to be present in smaller towns and hence, it makes sense to operate closer
to them.
The rush towards smaller towns also presents an
opportunity for the government to incentivise development in these areas. “I’d
certainly move to a small town if required. But the chief concerns are the
support available for professionals’ families in terms of education institutes,
medical facilities, better infrastructure, good living environment and
connectivity. If these are addressed proactively by the government or through
Public Private Partnerships, it would make smaller towns equally attractive,”
shares Ashok Reddy, president, global HR and corporate affairs, Infotech
Enterprises. Out of their 11,600 employees, over 2,000 are based in cities like
Kakinada, Vizag and Noida.
Today, migration is multidirectional and that is great
news for the Indian growth story. REDDY LISTS THE PROS AND CONS OF MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN:
Pros: Lesser commute time; Lower cost of living; Better work-life balance; Lesser
competition for resources; Lower cost of operation. Cons: Limited professional network; Restricted access to quality education and
medical facilities.

4.95-inch IPS display (1920 x 1080 pixels), 2.3Ghz quad
core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 16GB/32GB, 8MP/1.3MP camera, Android 4.4,
2,300mAh, 130 grams Value for money, excellent build quality, fantastic
performance, loud audio output, Android 4.4 Averaga still camera performance,
sub par battery life, no expandable memory Google Nexus devices are the first
to get any new Android updates. They also tend to have top-notch hardware at a
great price. The Nexus 5 continues this legacy being the first device to come
preloaded with the latest Android version 4.4 Like the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 is
manufactured by LG for Google. While the Nexus 4 was based on LG's Optimus G,
the Nexus 5 is a standalone design. Its slimmer, lighter and has an ergonomic
unibody design. We loved the matte finish on the rear panel — a welcome change
from the glossy plastic that we see on so many devices now.
The 4.95-inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution offers excellent
viewing angles with natural colour reproduction. Brightness is good but the
screen pales when compared to a Samsung Galaxy S4 or LG G2.
What instantly impressed us was the speed and performance of the smartphone.
Launching and switching between apps as well as navigation is instant — no sluggishness
even with over 10 apps running in the background. The device has a 2.3Ghz quad
core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM and 16/32GB fixed storage —
it's excellent value for money. As expected, full HD videos and games like
Asphalt and Dead Trigger 2 ran without a hitch.
The camera is the only part that felt lacking on an otherwise fantastic device.
We thought that the stills produced soft details and visible noise in many
conditions. An upgrade to Android 4.4.1 with camera improvements is rolling
out, though we didn't get a chance to test it out. Battery life was as expected
from the 2,300mAh battery — about a day. We highly recommend the device for
those looking for a powerful Android smartphone. For the same price, you can
also consider LG's Optimus G Pro. It doesn’t match up to the hardware of the
Nexus but offers a larger display, slightly better camera and better battery
life. KARAN BAJAJ TNN

Employment
opportunities for finance professionals are immense and will grow if the
industry grows

There is a potential source of confusion regarding careers in finance. On
one hand, there is a function called finance that is common to all business
enterprises, in every industry. On the other, there is a financial services
industry. Additionally, note that the finance function is but one of many
possible career paths within the financial services industry.
There are career opportunities in various areas
like commercial banking, forex management, investment banking, wealth
management, financial planning, corporate finance, financial research and
so on. THE FINANCE CAREER FIELD INCLUDES:
CORPORATE FINANCE In corporate finance, you would work for a company to help it find
various sources to raise finance, grow the business, make acquisitions, plan
for its financial future, manage any cash in hand and ensure future
economic viability. INVESTMENT BANKING Investment banks help companies and governments issue securities, help
investors purchase securities, manage financial assets, trade securities
and provide financial advice. COMMERCIAL BANKING Commercial banks serve large corporations, small businesses, as well as
the general public. Despite recent consolidation in commercial banking, the
industry continues to provide more career opportunities in finance than any
other sector in the financial services industry. FOREX MANAGEMENT Indian companies have been increasingly attracting foreign capital
either through listing on international stock exchanges or through private
equity placements. Companies that wish to access markets for capital or
become leading global suppliers to corporations in developed markets have
to hedge forex exposure.
The forex treasury division in banks offers a full
range of vanilla and derivative products in forex, interest rates and
commodities. These include spot, forward, swaps, currency options, interest
rate derivatives, commodity futures and options in addition to high yield
structured deposits linked to currencies, interest rates and commodities. Several
companies are looking for professionals who understand the nuances of
international finance, international capital markets and risk management. MONEY MANAGEMENT Money managers purchase and carry corporate bonds, agency securities,
asset-backed securities and other fixed-income investment products. Some
specialise in small stocks, large cap funds, fledgling markets, and other
equities. FINANCIAL PLANNING Financial planning helps people make advance provision for financial
needs that may arise in the future.
The Chartered Financial Planner (CFP) course is
presently offered in India by two authorised education providers of the
Association of Financial Planners (AFP). Alternatively, an
MBA/CFA/CA/Insurance specialisation - singularly or in combination, would
also give you a broad understanding of the various investment instruments
and options, and their implications. STOCK BROKING Brokers or stock market professionals are now either playing host to
foreign investment bankers, who are looking for opportunities on the Indian
stock market, or visiting fund managers abroad seeking investment here.
Stock market houses are redefining themselves and the business of stock
broking is highly visible today. Communication links between the dealing room
and the trading ring are being improved. COMMODITY TRADING Commodities trading is a global phenomenon and offers tremendous
potential to market participants for both profit taking on small price
corrections as well as to hedgers looking at managing price risk on account
of price fluctuations. In developed markets, futures trading is
conservatively ten times the size of cash market in commodities. If we
consider the fact that in the US, the futures trading is almost 20 times
that of the cash market production, it would only be fair to suggest that
our futures market would be a very large and deep one, easily many times
more than that of the securities market. INSURANCE Apart from career opportunities available with insurance companies,
employment avenues are also open in the corporate sector, stock broking
firms, finance companies, shipping companies,
etc. With private participation in the insurance sector, the number of
employment opportunities has gone up. REAL ESTATE Real estate is collateral for mortgages and a large amount of financial
assets. Identifiable real estate fields are mortgage banking, property
management, real estate appraisals, brokerage and leasing, and real estate
development. - ,Sudhir Dhar .. is associate director and head HR, Motilal Oswal
Financial Services Ltd TAS 131218

The One
Thing That Truly Motivates Creative Talent--And How To Foster It

Talent. It’s the subject line of
many an inbox message these days. All of us who belong to the great ecosystem
of new talent development--universities, portfolio programs, think tanks,
agencies--and agency leaders, mentors, recruiters, and talent managers, offer opinions
about who we need now and how we train them. Even better, the discussion has
evolved to the nurturing of talent over the long ride of a career.

This is good.

From my vantage point of a couple of
decades of preparing creatives and strategic thinkers for careers, the true
platform for talent development hinges on building one beautiful characteristic
from which all success flows: intrinsic motivation. It’s all the reasons we do
things that have little to do with money or offices or perks. It can make B
skill level into an A+ creative.

Intrinsic motivation is the mojo
that breathes life into curiosity and lifelong learning, into building new and
better skills, into making individually defined talent level bloom into
something of value to the whole. It pushes us to go beyond obligation in our
work.

Intrinsic motivation makes us love
what we do and find ways to do that well.

There’s plenty of intellectual heft
to back this up. Harvard business professor Teresa Amabile grew a cult
following after her 1998 landmark research about successful creative
organizations. Her study found that creative skills, domain expertise, and
intrinsic motivation were necessities to drive creative culture. Behavioral
psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi built his flow theory around a core ideal of
intrinsic motivation.

Industry
greats such as Paul Venables, Janet Kestin, Nancy Vonk, and John Boiler note that passion for good work drives talented people, that it is
shared values that build the best teams and culture.

The inclusion of intrinsic
motivation as a business proposition is epic. It explains what catapults great
agencies and the people in them to the upper strata of epic creative. I’ve seen
it realized at the best places from monolithic to radical, when
everyone--receptionist to CCO to producers to client--believes in what they do
and why it’s important. Quite frankly, it’s a rather rare commodity (we’ve all
seen plenty of places that don’t fit this model), but when it happens, it is
remarkable.

As a professor on the front lines of
producing best talent, I believe intrinsic motivation can be developed in
individuals and cultures. The questions become: How do we develop this early on
so young talent walks in the door ready and enthused? How do we sustain that
motivation throughout a career? But more, how do we develop organizational
cultures that believe and live up to this shared expectation?

Curiosity is key. We find that
directly developing this skill in class and through extraordinary projects
opens doors to bigger thinking and investment. There’s also a direct connection
between curiosity and building hybrid skills in students. When they are curious
about the world and how it functions (how does that work? who does this affect?
why why why?), they will work to understand people, technology, and culture. To
be honest, I want them to be dedicating more time to understanding the world
than to making a slick campaigns book. Both can be important, but the first builds
a way of thinking for a lifetime.

I know this philosophy works in our
classes. Learning should be all about finding the golden tension of
interdisciplinarity, the joy of connection. And that happens when we build from
curiosity. And I’m watching it come alive in 72andSunny’s newest version of 72U under the directorship of Maria
Scileppi. (Transparency alert: I helped shape this new version and I’m proud of
the outcome.) Maria and her cohort are jumping into 12 weeks of
psychogeography, quantified living, Arduino projects, and days spent thinking
how to make the world a better and smarter place, as they learn agency culture.
They’re studying the world and how it lives.

Will they be ready to land in a fast
creative agency? Absolutely. Their ability to provoke and connect culture to
their chosen profession becomes ownable. Compare that to multiple “training
programs” in the industry that train only for agency process and tired,
entrenched versions of creative thinking or agency bureaucracy.

Attention, mentors: do something big
with all that influence. Remind your protegeés that this profession has to work
to its highest standard. Give feedback that involves direction about doing the
right thing. Remind them that best business practices can feed the soul and
drive the economy. If it were easy, anybody could do it and, really, they
can’t.

How about this: when our Oregon
program took 53 students to Creative Week last May, brilliant JWT CCO Matt
MacDonald (since moved to BBDO) came up with the idea of an eight-hour
internship. Our bright students were toured, fed, briefed in the morning, then
gave five-minute team pitches in the afternoon to Matt’s JWT team and their
client. Great ideas and great reaction collided all over the room. The
excitement, the motivation was inspiring for all. It was also expected.

Train new talent with the idea
they’re here to be awesome, then demand that from them. Hardasses with
character motivate. Ask anyone about Bernbach or Riswold or Hoffman; a
demanding mentor inspires.

In my years of doing this, a truth
shines through that captures the best of this profession. Students driven by
creativity and curiosity want to do meaningful work. The reality of intrinsic
motivation is that it is driven by purpose. The old “it’s only advertising”
heard in offices across the land kills that spirit.

Instead, better to build investment
from junior talent by doing work that is socially meaningful as it solves
business problems. That’s good for brands and for people. Don’t think of this
as kumbaya. Think of it as your little parcel of change agentry. Look at Ty
Montague’s Storydoing project or brand expert Scott Bedbury’s take on brands with
superpowers. That’s the thinking that grows intrinsic motivation.

No treatise on talent would be
complete without stating the obvious: we need to open doors (then keep them
open) to people of color and to women for leadership roles. (It makes my head
hurt that we’re all still talking about this in 2013.) We know that research
and conventional wisdom tell us better ideas and more divergent problem-solving
comes from diverse teams.

We also know that the promise of
richer thinking grows motivation and makes everyone better. The organization
that actively searches for bright thinkers from an array of backgrounds and
perspectives drives the future. Watch Google and Facebook as they gather
world-class talent. Or look at this great example: Steve Stoute and his
Translation brainchild that will change the world by gathering people who know
abundant culture and connect it well. And this great read: Marty Neumeier’s MetaSkills Five Talents for the
Robotic Age.
We’re ready for this.

At
it simplest, the answer to motivating people to do more, create more, be more
is to give them the aspirational tools they need. The rest will grow from that
starting place. That, of course, is about leaders who inspire and ideas that
solve business problems with generosity and courage. Yes, I’m asking for a lot
in a world fraught with economic angst and systems evolving at the speed of
pixels flying.

To
be honest, I’m an optimist but one blessed with a realistic perspective. I want
the work I do in training people to result in bright resonant careers and
better craft. I’ve seen this happen over and over again. But more, I want that
bright glow of wanting to be good at what we do to drive us.